Quality of Life Comparison

If you lived in Greenland instead of United States, you would:

live 7.4 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women). In Greenland, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 76 years for women).

Economy

make 29.7% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $59,500, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $41,800.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 4.4% of adults are unemployed. In Greenland, that number is 9.1%.

Life

have 15.2% more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people. In Greenland, there are 14.4 babies per 1,000 people.

be 53.4% more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.8 children die before they reach the age of one. In Greenland, on the other hand, 8.9 children do.

Basic Needs

be 10.1% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 76.2% of the population has internet access. In Greenland, about 68.5% do.

Geography

see 2.2 times more coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

Learn more about Greenland

Greenland is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 sq km. Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.

How big is Greenland compared to United States?
See an in-depth size comparison.